Deep Commentary

These two verses were taught by the Buddha at Jetavana Monastery, in connection with a prison. One day, criminals were brought before King Pasenadi. They had committed serious crimes such as theft, robbery, murder, and sexual violence. All of them were tightly bound. When the monks saw the prisoners being restrained and punished in prison, they went to the Buddha and reported what they had witnessed. They described the criminals bound with wooden stocks, ropes, and chains, suffering greatly, and asked whether there was any bondage stronger than these. In response, the Buddha explained that such physical bonds are not truly strong. The bonds of craving and delusion are far stronger; they bind beings tightly and cause them to suffer through many lives. The Buddha further said that although these bonds are hundreds and thousands of times stronger than the ropes and chains the monks had seen, the wise are still able to cut them off. The Buddha then told a story from his own past. Long ago, when King Brahmadatta ruled in Benares, the Bodhisattva was born as the son of a poor family. When he grew up, his father died, and he had to work for wages to support his mother. After he married, his mother passed away. His wife became pregnant with their first child, though he did not know it. One day, he told his wife that he wished to renounce worldly life. She then told him she was pregnant and asked him to stay. She said that after the child was born, he could still go forth. After the child was born, he again asked to leave, but his wife asked him to stay until the child was weaned. While he was waiting, she became pregnant with a second child. He then thought, “If this continues, when will I ever fulfill my wish?” Seeing no other way, he decided to leave secretly. In the middle of the night, without saying farewell, he left home. Although he was stopped by guards, he eventually fulfilled his intention. He went to the Himalayas and lived as a hermit. Before long, he attained meditative powers and higher spiritual realizations. He reflected, “I have broken the most difficult bond: the ugly bond of sensual craving, the bond of attachment to wife and children.” After telling this story from the past, the Buddha spoke the verses to clarify the meaning of the hermit’s realization. In these two verses, the Buddha speaks clearly about attachment within family life. For the wise, no worldly rope is as strong as the invisible bond of affection and craving. Though unseen, it has tremendous power to bind. Beyond attachment to spouse and children, people also cling to wealth and possessions. These are the things that bind human beings tightly from life to life. Because of this, traditional wisdom says that spiritual practice is a source of blessing, while blind attachment becomes a painful bond. This bond is truly frightening. Although we may know it to be a bond of suffering, few people are able to escape it. The ocean of desire is deep and difficult to cross. Throughout history, passion has drowned countless powerful and talented people. Some may appear heroic, influential, or mighty in the eyes of the world, yet before the attraction of beauty and desire they become weak and helpless. Looking back, many kings, rulers, and powerful people were surrounded by honor and feared by others, yet how did their lives end? Many lost their bodies, their lives, and their achievements because they could not pass beyond the gate of sensual attachment. A wise saying teaches that rain is not an iron lock, yet it can keep a traveler from moving on; beauty is not a great wave, yet it can drown a person. From ancient times, many heroes have fallen because of it, and countless people have sunk into this pit. In one Buddhist scripture, the Buddha teaches about attachment to spouse, children, and household life. He says that one bound by spouse, children, and home is even more confined than a prisoner, for a prison sentence may one day end, but attachment to family rarely gives rise to the thought of leaving. Once the mind is captivated by beauty, it no longer fears danger. Even if disaster lies ahead, the heart willingly enters it. To sink oneself into such mud is to remain an ordinary worldling; to understand this clearly is to become one who goes beyond the world. The story above tells of the Buddha’s own past life. Although he wished several times to renounce, leaving decisively was extremely difficult. In the end, however, he fulfilled his aspiration. Because he had planted deep wholesome roots through many lives, he possessed the firm and powerful resolve needed to cut through the bond of attachment to wife and children.